India: relief, rivers & drainage

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Pandharpur stands on the Chandrabhaga, the local name of the Bhima, and Tiruchirappalli on the Cauvery (Kaveri). Hampi, the ruins of Vijayanagara, lies on the Tungabhadra, not the Malaprabha, so pair 3 is wrong.

• ✓ 1. The Solapur district administration notes that the Chandrabhaga (Bhima) flows through Pandharpur, home of the Vitthal (Vithoba) temple and the annual wari pilgrimage.
• ✓ 2. Tiruchirappalli, the old Chola stronghold with the Srirangam temple on a river island, lies on the banks of the Kaveri.
• ✗ 3. Vijayanagara (Hampi) was built in the natural basin of the Tungabhadra; the Malaprabha flows past Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami's region further north-west.

Remember · Pandharpur — Bhima (Chandrabhaga); Tiruchirappalli/Srirangam — Kaveri; Hampi — Tungabhadra; Aihole–Pattadakal — Malaprabha.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part II, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 4

Pairs 1, 2 and 4 are correct: the Yamuna rises from the Bandarpunch glacier area, Bara Shigri feeds the Chandra (which becomes the Chenab), and the Siachen glacier gives rise to the Nubra. Milam is the source of the Sarda, not the Mandakini, and Zemu feeds the Teesta, not the Manas.

• ✓ 1. The Yamuna has its source in the Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of the Banderpunch range (spelt Bandarpunch in the question).
• ✓ 2. Bara Shigri, the largest glacier of Lahaul, lies on the left bank of the Chandra; the Chandra and the Bhaga join at Tandi to form the Chandrabhaga, i.e. the Chenab.
• ✗ 3. The Milam glacier gives rise to the Sarda (Goriganga), a tributary of the Ghaghara. The Mandakini is a different stream of the Alaknanda system, so this pair fails.
• ✓ 4. The Siachen glacier is the source of the Nubra river, a tributary of the Shyok, which in turn joins the Indus.
• ✗ 5. The Zemu glacier on the eastern side of Kanchenjunga in Sikkim feeds the Zemu Chu, a stream of the Teesta basin. The Manas is a different river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra that flows through Bhutan and Assam.

Remember · Bandarpunch feeds the Yamuna, Bara Shigri the Chandra-Chenab, Siachen the Nubra, Milam the Sarda and Zemu the Teesta.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) Water reservoirs

Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati are all water reservoirs behind dams: Aliyar in Tamil Nadu, Isapur on the Penganga in Maharashtra and Kangsabati in West Bengal. Each stores water mainly for irrigation.

• ✓ (d) Aliyar reservoir (Parambikulam-Aliyar Project) is in Tamil Nadu, the Isapur dam is on the Penganga river in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, and the Kangsabati Reservoir Project irrigates Bankura, Midnapore and Hooghly in West Bengal.
• ✗ (a) These places are known for dams and irrigation reservoirs, not for mining.
• ✗ (b) The three sites lie in three different states and are known for their dams, not for tropical rain forest.

Remember · Aliyar (Tamil Nadu), Isapur (Maharashtra) and Kangsabati (West Bengal) are all dam reservoirs.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error